Brett Favre Sued for Sexual Harassment

By Matt Murai on January 3, 2011

NEW YORK — Brett Favre's latest attempt at retirement is off to a rocky start.

Two massage therapists, Christina Scavo and Shannon O'Toole, have sued Favre, the New York Jets and Lisa Ripi, a woman who hires massage therapists for the team, claiming they lost their jobs when they complained about receiving sexually suggestive text messages from the former NFL star, Good Morning America reports.

In the suit filed Monday in New York, Scavo alleges that Favre treated her like a "hanging slab of meat" when he played for the team in 2008. She also alleges he wanted a three-way with her and another therapist.

"Brett here, you and Crissy want to get together, I'm all alone," he allegedly wrote in a text message to the unidentified therapist.

Scavo claims her husband confronted Favre after the incident and asked for an apology, but he "responded in an inappropriate manner and refused." From then on, both Scavo and O'Toole were never offered work with the Jets again, according to the lawsuit.

"I suspect that this case is only the tip of the iceberg with respect to the harassment and discrimination experienced by women working for NFL teams and their players as well as all of men's professional sports," Elizabeth Eilender, the attorney for Scavo and O'Toole, told ABC News in a statement. "I hope that Ms. Scavo's and Ms. O'Toole's courage to bring this suit will empower other women to come forward without fear of retaliation and retribution in order to protect their livelihoods and self-respect."

The lawsuit is the second scandal to rock Favre's brief tenure with the Jets. Last week, he was fined $50,000 by the NFL for failing to cooperate during their investigation into allegations he sent inappropriate text messages and graphic photos to Jenn Sterger, a former gameday hostess for the team.